172 DOMESTIC ANIMALS, DAIRYING, ETC. 



small ; moreover it does not make a good quality of silage. The same 

 is true with oats, rye, or beggarweed hay. It comes then to the ques- 

 tion of deciding between corn and sorghum. Analysis shows sor- 

 ghum silage to be a little richer in total digestible nutrients than corn 

 silage. Sorghum has also a heavier yield of green forage per acre 

 than corn. If then, sorghum produces silage richer in total diges- 

 tible nutrients, and also gives a larger yield of green forage per acre, 

 it has two important points in its favor. It is not only the best crop 

 for the silo, but also the cheapest. 



The cost of cultivating an acre of ground is the same regardless 

 of the yield ; that is, the time and labor required to produce an acre 

 of corn will be the same, whether two tons or ten tons of forage are 

 produced per acre ; but the cost of production per ton will be reduced 

 as the yield per acre is increased. For example, if it costs $10 to 

 fertilize and cultivate one acre that produces only four tons of forage, 

 the cost per ton will be $2.50; but if for the same expenditure of 

 money we can produce some other crop that will yield from twelve 

 to fifteen tons per acre, then the cost per ton will be reduced by 

 nearly 60 to 75 per cent. (Fla. B. 92.) 



Feeding Roots. Roots of some kind are good for all domestic 

 animals. Their effect is tonic as well as nutritive. Breeders and 

 feeders of animals for exhibition find them invaluable. For most 

 purposes the roots are chopped or sliced before feeding. Various 

 hand and power machines are on the market for this work. Gen- 

 erally speaking, roots should not be fed alone as they carry too much 

 water. A feed may vary from 25 to 50 pounds per day for a thou- 

 sand pounds of animal, according to the amount of dry concentrates 

 and roughage fed. It is usual to put the cut roots into the feed box 

 and distribute the ground grain over them. For poultry, however, 

 the whole roots may be given, allowing the fowls to pick them. It 

 is said by some that turnips and rutabagas impart a flavor to milk. 

 However, if no roots are in the milking room at the time of milking 

 and they are fed just after milking, this may be avoided. 



Feeding Cabbage. Cabbages are good food for cattle, sheep and 

 swine. When they are grown for stock feeding it has not been a 

 general practice to remove them from the field. If it is convenient 

 for feeding to continue into early winter they are pulled and piled 

 closely, then fed directly from the field. When fed to sheep they are 

 generally not cut. The sheep can nibble them very well. When 

 fed to cattle they should be cut either by a cutting machine, or they 

 may be chopped fairly well with a square pointed shovel. They 

 should be fed as soon after being cut as possible. Sometimes the 

 grain or chopped feed is mixed with them. 



It is claimed by many feeders that cabbages are likely to lend a 

 disagreeable odor or taste to the milk when fed to dairy cattle. This 

 may be avoided, however, by feeding just before or just after milk- 

 ing, care being taken to remove the milk from the presence of the 

 cabbage as soon as possible. (N. Y. Cornell B. 242.) 



Relation of Live Weight to Proper Feeding. The live weight 

 of a cow is a good index of whether the cow is being fed a proper 



